


The Birth of Darth Caedus

by idrilhadhafang



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Fix-It, In The Earn Your Happy Ending Way, Kylo Ren Redemption, M/M, Past Character Death, Post-Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, Resurrection, Sith Kylo Ren, Slow Burn Darkpilot, Stephen King Vibes, for real this time
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-28
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:01:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23364358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idrilhadhafang/pseuds/idrilhadhafang
Summary: The Sith aren’t done with Ben Solo yet.
Relationships: Poe Dameron/Ben Solo, Poe Dameron/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Poe Dameron/Kylo Ren
Kudos: 5





	The Birth of Darth Caedus

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing. 
> 
> Author’s Notes: Lumina is very much inspired by Kreia from the second KOTOR game, because Kreia’s awesome.

It had been a few months since the Battle of Exegol, and Darth Lumina was the leader of the survivors. 

She was a young woman, and her face would not have looked like one would have expected a Sith Lady’s face to be — her white blond hair bound in braids, her almost delicate features. It was her eyes that gave her away — fiery gold, and blazing. It was in the deserts of Moraband, one of the many worlds of the Sith, that she disembarked from her shuttle. She had work to do. 

***

Summoning a Force user back from the dead was possible, if one so wished; Force Healing was miraculous. It wasn’t often done; the Jedi foolishly believed that death was a part of life and you had to accept others fading away as opposed to fighting against it. Palpatine, of course, knew better — he had taught Lumina and others certain techniques, things such as what his own master, Plagueis, had taught him. Lumina never thought she would need such things. Not until now.

She concentrated. Giving a good amount of her life force, and her Force energy. Concentrated on bringing the man who had been Kylo Ren into existence —

— and it was when Lumina was tired, a bit shaky, that she saw him, stirring on the floor. She had felt a scream from him while she had been extracting him, and like the Force itself was protesting, but it mattered not. 

”Where am I?" Ben said, even as his eyes fluttered open. He was wearing black, like he had when he’d died. “Who am I?”

Darth Lumina smiled, if wryly. “You’re our guest,” she said. “Our...honored guest, if you will. We’ve been expecting you for quite some time, Supreme Leader.”

”I was a Leader,” Ben said. He seemed confused; Lumina couldn’t say that she blamed him, actually. The Dark Side version of Force Healing certainly had side effects. But it was necessary, she thought. Snoke had weakened him, been an incompetent teacher. Calling him a teacher was an insult to the concept. But she could help him. Save him. Make him who he was meant to be. 

”You were,” Lumina said. “Not a terribly good one. Then again, you hardly had the tools to be such.”

”I think I remember. Snoke...he wanted me to kill the scavenger. I couldn’t. It was like...killing family.” A beat. “And Palpatine said she was good as my family.” Silence. “Stars...I can’t believe my cousin kissed me...”

”Well,” Lumina said wryly, “I doubt it’s anything new for the Skywalker family. Or so I’ve been told.” 

Ben nodded. He seemed to be at a loss to even consider the idea. 

”Snoke was incompetent,” Lumina said. “Calling him a teacher is an insult to the concept.”

”And you...” Ben trailed off. He seemed, at least, to be wondering about Lumina’s intentions. 

"I am Darth Lumina,” Lumina said. “One of the remnants of Exegol’s Sith. You could say that I’m the leader of these remnants. We were presumed dead, but we weren’t. Only in exile." A beat. “Of course, I’m not following Palpatine’s teachings. He was, to put it bluntly, a megalomaniac. I’m creating something new from the ruins...and I want you to join me.”

Ben blinked. He seemed to be considering her offer. Then, “What could you offer me?”

"A better galaxy,” Lumina said. “A better teacher. Palpatine lured you with the idea of making Poe Dameron happy, didn’t he?”

”Poe. I remember him. Is he happy? Is he all right?”

”Does it matter?” Lumina said. “He didn’t come for you. He knew who you were on Crait and yet he didn’t bother to save you. Perhaps he didn’t care." After all, Lumina thought, if Dameron had truly loved his alleged soulmate, he would have torn the galaxy apart to find him, would he not have? 

Ben winced. “He couldn’t have abandoned me.”

”He did,” Lumina said. She almost pitied Ben. Almost. Sith had no room for pity, but she felt it anyway. “You could say we’re alike in that regard — alone in the universe.”

Ben nodded. It seemed like he was struggling just to accept it. 

”But perhaps we don’t have to be,” Lumina said. “Join me, Ben.”

After a while, a while of considering and contemplating and wondering, Ben nodded. 

”Excellent. And we’ll have to choose a name for you, of course. You can’t go by Darth Kylo. That name is dead now.”

”Caedus,” Ben said. “My name is Darth Caedus.”

”A solid choice. Stand, Darth Caedus — your time among the living has just begun.”


End file.
